brooks



(No Model.)

E. J. BROOKS.

, SEAL. N0. B l 4,994. Patented Apr. 7, 1885.

llll

WITNESSES INVENTOR Edwardlliraoks By his. flttpmey v NITEV STATES PATENTOFFICE.

EDWARD J. BROOKS, OF EAST ORANGE, NEN JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO E. J.

BROOKS 85 00., OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SEAL.

EJF'EOL'FEGATEOIQ' forming part of Letters Patent No. 314,99 dated April7, 1885.

Application filed June 21, 1884.

To a. whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD J. BROOKS, a citizen of the United States,residing at East Orange, in the State of New Jersey, have in 5 vented anew and useful Improvement in Seals, of which the following is aspecification.

In a previous specification, forming part of an application for UnitedStates Patent filed April 10, 1884, Patent No. 303,417, I set forth 1Oself-fastening seals of that general class a characteristic of which isthe employment or use,as a part or the whole of each seal, of a flexibleshackle the ends ofwhich are united or fastened at the sealing operationafter passing the shackle through a pair of staples or otherwiseapplying the same, and which is or may be easily cut to open or unseal acardoor or other object secured by the seal, the said self-fasteningseals set forth in said previous specification having double seal parts,of pottery or other hard and frangible material, within which the endsof sheet-metal shackles are secured by interlocking snap-.

catches formed on the respective extremities of the shackle, the twohalves of each sealpart being fast on the respective shackle ends.

The present invention consists in improved self-fastening seals of thesame general class, and adapted, like those above named, to be made withsheet-metal shackles and pottery seal parts,and to be quickly opened, tounseal the object to which it is applied, either by cutting the shackleor by breaking the seal part, as may be most convenient, the shacklesbeing adapted, furthermore, to be passed through small staples or thelike, and the seal parts to be made each in one simple piece, the latterhaving a narrow threadinghole, and provided internally with a metalliccatch to coact with snap-catches integral with the threading end or endsof the shackle, to fasten the latter securely within the seal part,notwithstanding any inequalities in the pottery itself, and withoutstraining said integral snap-catches in the fastening operation, eachseal part having an internal springcatch distinct fromthe shackle, and anarrow threading-hole leading thereto, each shackle having snap-catchesat its respective extremities, 0 whereby I am enabled at once tomanufacture and pack the parts separately, and to unite (No model.)

them by the aforesaid mode of fastening preliminary to applying theseal,so as to facilitate carrying and using the same.

A sheet of drawings accompanies this specification as part thereof.

Figure 1 of the drawings is an elevation of the two parts ofa seal,illustrating this invention. Fig. 2 represents a horizontal sectionthrough the seal part, with the fastening-catch therein in elevation.Fig. 3 is a sectional edge view of the parts preliminarily united. Fig.4. is a like view of the seal fastened, and Fig. 5 is asectional edgeview of another fastened seal, illustrating modifications.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

This improved self-fastening seal in each of the forms represented bythe drawings consists of a single hard and brittle seal part, A or A,adapted to be made of pottery or baked clay, and preferably of thischeap and readilymanipulated material, and a flexible sheetmetalshackle, B or B, adapted to be made of frangible tin (hard tin -plate)cut into suitable strips, which is preferred for seals of the customarysmall sizes. The seal part is,

moreover, in each form made hollow, with a said internal catch of theseal part, for which i purposes short rigid catches adapted to enterwithout material strain will suffice. The seals would preferably bepacked for shipment, or leave the factory with their shackles straight,as shown in full lines in Fig. l, and with the parts united at one endof the shackle, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to be convenient] y carried asone part. The free threading end is readily passed through a pair ofcardoorstaples, O, or the like, even of small size, after which, bysimply inserting this end of the shackle, the seal is fastened, as shownin Figs. 4 and 5, so as to seal the object to which it is applied,whichis quickly unsealed,

as aforesaid, either by cutting the sheetmetal shackle or by breakingthe brittle seal-part, as may be most convenient.

In the form represented by Figs. 1 to 4:, inelusive, the two parts A. Bare adapted to be made and packed for shipment separate from each other,as seen in Figs. 1 and 2. The seal part has an internal spring-catch 8formed by a bent strip of flat metal, preferably steel, with recurvedends which project into the recess 1' and form centralfastening-shoulders. Both ends of the shackle are threading ends 6, andterminate in catches a, which, being single, are adapted to projectoutwardly when the shackle is bent in use, as shown in dotted lines inFig. 1, and when inserted to coact with said internal catch, asaforesaid. One shackle end is inserted to unite the parts preliminarily,as shown in Fig. 3, and the seal is fastened by inserting the other end,as shown in Fig. 4:.

In that analogous form represented by Fig. 5 the two parts A B may bemade and used in the same manner; but the internal springeatch s isdouble or of arrow-head shape, with a roughened shank, 00, around whichthe material of the seal part is solidified, and the shackle endsterminate in snapcatches c" 0, adapted to project inwardly wheninserted, as shown in the figure.

Other materials adapted to be molded or cast into a hard and brittleseal part, sufficiently cheap, strong. and weatherproof, may be usedinstead of pottery; and flat wire, band-iron,

and the like are considered equivalents of 5 sheet metal for thepurposes ofthis invention; and the seal parts and shackles may each oreither be provided with suitable distinguishing-marks in any approvedways.

Having thus described my said improvement in seals, I claim as myinvention and desire to patent under the present specification- Animproved self-fastening seal composed -of a hard and brittle seal part,having a per- EDWARD J. BROOKS.

XVitnesses;

HENRY L. G. VVENK, NORMAN S. KLINE

